Society-funded research making an impact across Canada and around the world

01 June 2011

Clinical trials help find new methods for diagnosing, treating, managing and preventing cancer. On June 3 to 7, 2011, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Chicago. This event is one of the largest and most prestigious cancer-related conferences in the world, where over 35,000 researchers presented and learned about the latest advances in oncology.

Annually, of the thousands of research abstracts that are submitted for presentation, about 1% is deemed by ASCO to be "Best of ASCO". This research is considered to be the best with potential to change how cancer is managed around the world.

The Society funds "best of best" The big news out of Chicago was that three "Best of ASCO" clinical trials were funded by the Canadian Cancer Society through the NCIC Clinical Trials Group.

"It is thrilling that Canadian research is being recognized as a world leader. This type of acknowledgement clearly demonstrates that research funded by Canadian Cancer Society donors is resonating within the international healthcare community, specifically for its potential impact," explains Dr Michael Wosnick, Vice-President Research, Canadian Cancer Society.

Treating breast cancer. Our study found that additional radiation treatment reduces risk of recurrence for women with early breast cancer and could increase survival.

Treating prostate cancer. Our study found that men treated with alternating courses of hormone-suppressing therapy will live as long as those receiving continuous therapy, while experiencing fewer side effects.

Your support makes a difference

The success of these clinical trials was only made possible thanks to the support of Canadian Cancer Society donors and volunteers.

Did you know? The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. In fact, a recent study found that researchers funded by the Canadian Cancer Society are making a bigger scientific impact than other researchers in Canada. The study, an evaluation of the Society’s research grants program, found that Society researchers published more papers, published these papers in the most prestigious scientific journals and their work is referenced more often by their peers.